On Sunday, the 2020 NFL season will come to a close with Super Bowl LV. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will become the first team to play a home Super Bowl, and they will face off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will be looking to go back-to-back, and become the first team to do so since the Patriots over 15 years ago. As we all know, the biggest game of the season can conjure up plenty of shocks; from Nick Foles' touchdown reception to the helmet catch. Anything can happen. This article will look at some bold predictions for what could happen on Sunday night's game.
A Defensive player will be MVP
This game has bags of offensive firepower, but it could well come down to the defenses in deciding who wins this game. Both the Bucs and Chiefs have elite defenses with playmakers all over the place. Tyrann Mathieu, Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Devin White, Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul all have the potential to dominate this game. People may think that this is not too bold of a prediction, but only two defensive players have been MVP in the Super Bowl since 2004. In that defensive showdown in 2019 between the Rams and Patriots, Julian Edelman was the MVP. Having a defensive player win this award is not the sexy pick, and it does not bring as much attention.
However, this crop of defensive players is stacked. With the Buccaneers defensive line being so dominant, and going up against a second rate offensive line. One of them could end up winning the award. If they can shut down Patrick Mahomes along with the run, that will set the Buccaneers up for victory, and if I had to choose two players to win it. It would be Devin White or Shaq Barrett. If one team is to have a defensive player win the MVP, it will be the Bucs.
Scotty Miller will have the longest reception in the game
After some interesting comments made by Scotty Miller after the win over the Green Bay Packers, this is a prediction that had to be made. Miller ran at a blistering pace to score that touchdown on the brink of half-time in Green Bay, and in an interview, after the game, he made a huge claim. He said he was faster than Chiefs speedster Tyreek Hill. That will be the thing to look at this weekend, who will have the longest reception between the two. Hill loves to blow the top off a defense and have a 50+ yard touchdown. However, Miller has the pace to do the same, and with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown all on the same field, Miller has the chance to go undetected. On Sunday, he will have the opportunity to back up his words, and why not?
Gronk to lead the Bucs in receiving
The hype and excitement when Gronk came out of retirement was huge. Everyone thought he would become Tom Brady's favourite target, but it has been quite the opposite. He had 623 yards for 45 receptions, the same amount as Antonio Brown. Brown played half the games Gronk did. So, although this claim does not seem to be a bold one, it is. The 31-year-old was the Bucs top receiver in just two games this season and only broke 100 yards once. If the Buccaneers are to win this game, they will need to match the Chiefs offense every step of the way. The Super Bowl is when we get the best from Gronk, and with the Bucs offense being stacked with weapons, he can take advantage of that.
Chiefs to have a 100-yard rusher
The Buccaneers defense has allowed one, 100-yard rusher all season. Their defense was number one against the run this past season, and it has helped them along to a home Super Bowl. Teams have struggled to run against them all season, and it has upset the flow of so many offenses.
The Chiefs offense has three good running back, but only one player has eclipsed 100-yard rushing yards this season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the name of that man, and he has done it on two occasions. That Bucs run defense is elite, and its record is incredible. However, in last years Super Bowl, the Chiefs faced another elite run defense, and Damien Williams had 100+ yards rushing. Although it seems unlikely, Edwards-Helaire started the season with a 100-yard rushing performance, and he will end the season with one too.
The Chiefs will intercept Brady 3+ times
The Packers did it just last week, and the New Orleans Saints did earlier this season. So, why not again? This Chiefs defense is as good as the Packers, and you know that they will capitalise if Brady throws as he did in that second half. Mathieu, L'Jarius Snead, Daniel Sorenson and Bashaud Breeland all have multiple interceptions this season. Plus, Brady has thrown multiple interceptions in two of his four games against the Chiefs.
We saw this entire Kansas City team take a giant stride performance-wise against the Buffalo Bills. Do not be surprised if they do again on Sunday. Their secondary plays aggressive football, and their defensive line will put Brady under duress. If Brady is not careful, three interceptions or more could easily happen. Bruce Arians will not want to play scared, and he knows he will have to keep up with the Chiefs. He will not stay away from his aggressive play calling. Expect a lot of deep passes and some reckless ones that may be punished.